Mozambique: Australian RBR with no contact with subcontracted personnel – Lusa

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Mozambique: Australian RBR with no contact with subcontracted personnel – Lusa

3:17 CAT | 31 Mar 2021

Australian company RBR said on Tuesday that it had no knowledge of any casualties among its personnel from last week’s terrorist attacks in Palma, Cabo Delgado province, and was not in contact with subcontracted workers.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the training and management company said it “was unable to determine the well-being of the subcontractors” who were in the Wentworth accommodation camp during the attacks in Palma, which began on Wednesday last week.

“Communication in the area is almost non-existent, with the exception of satellite phones. This is significantly hampering efforts to locate people and provide assistance,” the statement said.

RBR says that, as far as it was aware, its workers were “settled and safe”. The same applied to the general manager, manager and other employees of the local company Projectos Dinamicos Lda, 50% owned by the Australian group through Futuro Skills.

RBR is subcontracted to CCS, a consortium involving multinationals McDermott, Saipem and Chiyoda, which provides services to Total, the Area 1 operator in Cabo Delgado.

A family member of the director-general of the company Projectos Dinamicos Lda died in the attack, on March 26, the company said.

Hundreds of workers have been evacuated from Palma in recent days, including those of Portuguese construction company Gabriel Couto, which is involved in two projects in Palma, a company source told Lusa on Tuesday.

Twenty of its workers were preparing the ground for the return to Afungi of about 250 colleagues, after work was interrupted following a previous attack, in January, on the resettlement village of the communities removed from the construction zone.

At the time, Total and other companies involved in the Palma venture had significantly reduced staffing levels, but, just hours before Wednesday’s attack, the French oil company and the Mozambican government had issued a joint statement announcing that activities would soon resume.
Dozens of civilians were killed in the attack on Palma, according to the Mozambican Ministry of Defence.

The site where the gas project infrastructure is being built is about 25 kilometre from the town of Palma and was not affected by the attacks and ensuing clashes between the armed groups and the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces.

The violence is causing a humanitarian crisis, with almost 700,000 people displaced and more than 2,000 deaths.

On Monday, the Islamic State terrorist movement claimed control of the town of Palma, near the border with Tanzania.

Several countries have offered military support to help Maputo fight the insurgents, but this has not yet transpired. There are however reports that security companies and mercenaries are active in the area.

Source: Lusa